We'd wear our masks as our people fled
by fuckthisaccount
Summary: If I lead you, will you follow? Into the depths of the moon so hollow? Will I make it? Will you wait? We wont know until tomorrow. Follows the budding romance of the two characters Anju and Kafei as they're feelings deepen over the years.
1. Eggplants and Beets

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Kafei and Anju. Just the mention of these two names sends a twinge of sadness through Zelda fans worldwide. If you failed to complete this side quest, or if a step was missed in the quest's transactions you'll know that the ending to this tale is not a good one and is incredibly sad. If you completed the quest, the result is quite the opposite. Nonetheless, this heart wrenching tale of desperation, love and most importantly, faith is the main reason I fell in love with this game. **

**eggplants and Beets**

_I_ awakened to the sound of crying.

Adrenaline pumped through me as my conscience switched from gentle slumber to harsh alertness in a matter of seconds. I lurched forward in my small bed, my hand reflexively grasping at my chest to try and slow my accelerating heart. Slowly and deliberately I inhaled oxygen, filling my lungs with the crisp night air. I held it in for a few moments before exhaling and falling back into my bed exhaustedly, my hands resting gently on my stomach. The same muffled sobs echoed eerily in the still air of the family courtyard, the sound bouncing off of the surrounding walls and seeping into the cracks of my windowpane.

Crawling to the head of my bed, I jerked open the wooden window that led to my backyard, craning my neck to try and put a face to the voice that so kindly jolted me awake. But my crimson eyes, slowly adjusting to the darkness, found nothing but neatly manicured lawn. The miniature field was only broken by a small structure planted directly in the center. The single tree that our backyard held was an old, knotted cherry tree that despite it's small stature, held a myriad of uses for us. Early spring brought us beautiful blossoms that showered out lawn with pink and white velvet, later transforming themselves into succulent, fleshy fruits. The summer, ample amounts of shade and protection from the steaming Terminian heat. But then came the present month, fall, when the once beautiful plant would seem to wither and die, it's crumpled form no longer hidden by flowers or cherries. This tree had been known as the _ralopib_ tree to my friends in ClockTown because it changes so drastically from summer to winter. A common prank was to sneak into the my fathers private courtyard and rip a finger (small branch) from the phantom tree and show them off and trade them. Whoever had the most finger-like branch would become the current champ. I, of course, had been disqualified from joining in on this for obvious reasons. Upon studying this tree, I realized even shrouded by darkness, it's pale branches did resembled the limbs of a long dead corpse. I shuddered at the thought.

As I was turning to shrug off the disturbing noise as 'just a dream', something caught my eye. A small, reddish animal lay curled up by the roots of the tree, caught in it's imaginary grasp. It whimpered and cried in the still night, sending icy shivers up my spine.

"That's the animal that woke me up." I whispered shallowly as to not disturbed my parent's in the next room. They would definitely not be happy with me going outside so late at night, especially with that thief who runs around stealing things still on the loose . . . what was his name? Sakon? I swallowed hard and opened the window further, allowing just enough room for a ten year olds body to fit through. I positioned my hands on either side of the pane and counted to three in my head, launching myself into the night sky on the last digit. Sure, I could have just shimmied down the side of the house, but would that have been fun? I landed with an barely audible thud as my backside collided with the dirt.

"Ow . . ." I whined quietly, regretting my reckless decision immediately. I got up rubbing my sore butt and making my way towards the crippled tree that loomed in front of me. The exotic animal I had spotted minutes earlier hadn't moved, to my relief. Maybe I could even catch it and keep it as my companion? I always _was_ jealous of my Bomber leader and his pet dog, truffles. So I crept closer, making sure to keep in the shadows that my large house created on the ground. As I came closer and closer, I noticed that the animal had no face nor ears and even lacked a tail. My eyebrows rose as a confused look crossed my face. If it wasn't stuck on the roots and branches, why was it still here? And then I assumed the creature must be no longer with us. The poor thing must have died just seconds earlier as it tried to escape the scraggly tree. I frowned and reached out tentatively, my fingertips barely brushing the smooth, auburn fur.

Then the unimaginable happened. The creature snapped it's head up, I screamed and fell back on my butt (again!) and the lights flipped on in my house. My pulse quickened for the second time in one night as I came face to face with glowing blue eyes. But I quickly realized these eyes were no beasts and instead belonged to the freckled faced redhead that was the granddaughter of the owner of the Stock-Pot-Inn. I let out a shaky breath and I noticed this was the very same girl that The Bombers loved to tease. But something was different, I had never seen her look so . . . so ethereal. I immediately noticed her stunning red hair, which acted as such a shocking contrast to her milky skin. I rather badly compared her long face to that of the moons round one, agreeing with myself that it wasn't the shape I was comparing, but the coloring. Even the intricate craters of the moon acted as her lightly dusted freckles. And how wondrously lunar her skin was . . . smooth and blemish free, unlike the other girls that fanned around me with their red, blotchy faces. But then she spoke.

"What're you gawking at, eggplant head?" She yelled at me, tears still staining her cheeks. _eggplant head . . . how very creative_, I thought snidely to myself, absentmindedly touching my purple hair. I pretended to be brimming with anger, for her sake.

"Just your ugly pimples, you beet head!" I shot back. If only she knew how much I was lying through my teeth to her. I just made fun of two of the things that I thought made her truly beautiful, her skin and her hair. What next, I tell her that her eyes are dull and stupid?

"There not pimples, you dolt! They're called freckles, ever heard of 'em?"

Just then, the small door to the courtyard creaked opened and two adults could be heard giggling. _Not again . . ._ I thought, groaning inwardly. My fathers short silhouette could be seen making it's way through the courtyard and around the back, followed by a much thinner and taller woman than my mother was. I was wasn't amazed that they failed to notice us. My father was extremely unperceptive and the woman he frolicked with talked like a special needs kid. As my father and his receptionist made there way to the back door, I hung my head in shame. No one was supposed to know about this, not even myself. But I had known for a while now that father would sneak of with that slut from time to time. The loathing I had for that woman could not be put into words. I clenched my fists, biting my lip. _What timing._

Beet head just stared at me, a sad expression on her face. She lifted her tiny hand slowly and suspended it in the air momentarily before finally placing it on my own open palm. I pulled away rapidly and looked at her, truly angry this time. My hands clenched and unclenched. But my anger for her didn't even compare to the anger I held for my Father and his illegal mistress.

"I don't need your pity!" I seethed, my face reddening with fury and embarrassment. "I don't need everyone feeling bad for me! I'm sick of people jealous one day and sympathetic the next!" I got up abruptly and started off towards my window but something stopped me, catching my arm. I looked back at the pale limb that held me in place.

"I don't pity you." She said softly as she urged me to sit down with a pat to the ground on front of her. I shifted uncomfortably on my toes before crouching down to sit parallel to her. My face tinted pink as silence was heavy between us.

"Don't you want to know why I'm here?" She asked in a much more submissive tone than before, brushing off the incident that just happened like it was nothing.

"Yes, tell me why you woke me up with your loud bawling and why your sitting in my backyard." I argued sarcastically. My attention still rested on my father and that women, sneaking off into the wee hours of the night to smash their faces together in the garden shed, making my tough guy facade a hard thing to keep up with. I lowered my head and fought back tears. She continued on slowly as if nothing had happened.

"Well, it all started when your little friends started harassing me as I was washing everyones clothes at the Laundry Pool. They started taking my . . .my . . ." She paused and laughed sharply, barely able to control herself. She was of those people that talked really fast in awkward situations. I could tell. "They were taking my grandmothers underwear and hanging them from the bell post by the post box! Of course I had to pretend I was appalled, which was hard because I found it hilarious and could barely stop from smiling. But I fooled them into thinking I was mad and they ended up dragging me over here! They threw me into your courtyard and told me to find the scariest branch and give it to them or they'll steal all our clothes. Then as I was climbing I fell and I hurt my foot and I started crying and then I sat for an hour and cried s'more than you came but I'm fine now!" She finished with a deep inhale of breath. I whistled, wishing I had been there for the laundry thing.

"You sounded like a wounded animal!" I said, laughing all the while. My father and his rendezvous with that whore had already come and gone out of my thoughts. My laughing ceased immediately as I membered that I don't even know beet head's name,"Hey, what's your name?"

"Anju." She paused, sticking out her palm. "Your's?"

"Kafei." I replied, grasping her palm and shaking it. _Wow, I can't even remember why I made fun of this girl. She's really not that bad!_ As she smiled at me, I noticed her two bicuspids missing on top jaw. The very same teeth I was missing. I made a mental note to ask her when she lost them.

"You're the Royal Brat of this town, eh?" The smiled dropped from my lips, my brows knitting together in anger. _Oh yeah, now I remember._

**NOTE: **

**-This single chapter took me a whole 6-7 (11:00 PM to 5:00 AM) hours to write! Gah, I'm so slow!  
-The word ****ralopib**** is bipolar backwards, meaning the tree has such polar opposite appearances. It also goes along with the whole Termina being backwards from Hyrule and whatnot.  
-Remember how Anju makes the moons mask? get it? _Lunar_ skin?  
****-Also tell me if something doesn't make sense so I can fix it. I never knew how hard it was to make a story make sense, lol  
-You'd make my day of you reviewed it! :)**


	2. The Pendant of Memories

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter takes place a few years after their first encounter at Kafei's house. Anju is twelve years old, while Kafei is celebrating his thirteenth birthday.**

The Pendant of Memories

**--Kafei**

"Well, well, well, if it ain't Kafei."

A young boy with sallow skin twisted his fingers around the thin branch of tree, a toothpick sitting lopsidedly in his mouth. A red bandanna was placed securely on his head, a small tuft of brown hair peeking itself out from under the cloth. Four other boys, my friends, swarmed around him and I. Rain hung in the sky like a misty curtain.

"So . . . ya think you can just turn thirteen without even telling us!" He spat, his angry eyes glaring. His followers stayed silent as they shifted uncomfortably around us. I rolled my eyes and groaned.

"You guys can't be serious. This isn't a big deal."

"_Isn't a big deal_?" One of the boys surrounding us chimed in. "You know you can't be in The Bombers if your over thirteen! It's against our code!"

"Wh . . . what?" I stuttered, my heart beat starting to quicken. Never had I heard of this rule before, not even in our notebook. My mind wandered frantically. _Would they really alienate me like this? _The answer to my question came moments after.

"You can't be in The Bombers." I froze, my blood turning to ice. "We need your Notebook"

"No." I answered simply, hurt rising in my throat like bile. "No, you can't do this!"

"We have to follow the code" My best friend, Tim, murmured, stepping forward.

"Code? Code?!" I yelled hysterically. "Are you saying the code is more important than friendship?" All of my peers, my comrades . . . my friends . . . they just looked down at the dirty ground. Rejection shook my hands as I ripped into my bag, pulling out the stupid notebook. I fished around a couple moments before finally finding it and throwing it in the mud that the rain had created. It slid in the brown slop, only to stop at the feet of our gangs leader.

"Take the notebook! I don't need it!" And with that, I was off running through North Clock town with the wind whipping through my hair. The rain hid my tears

--**Anju**

The steaming bowl of liquid I held in my palms swished and swayed as I wobbled up the stairs to my mother and my joint bedroom, my fingertips slowly starting to lose their grip on the ceramic. Large blocks of what appeared to be meat floated around in the frothy broth, accompanied by yellow-brown carrots and simply depressed looking onions. The vegetables seemed to mocked me as I teetered up the steps, laughing at ever dropped that spilled out.

_Oh, why does this have to be my job?_ I thought frustratingly as I neared the last step. _Everyone knows I'm a horrid cook and I'm clumsy! I'd rather scrub the latrine than endure this embarrassment! _

I paused as my feet reached solid ground, the bowl of soup finally stopping it's movement. By positioning the bowl in one hand and placing that hand on my knee, I was able to knock on the door. I could hear my mother sobbing on the other side of the thin door, the creaking of the bed signaling her movement.

What a mess my mother became when the anniversary of my fathers absence rolled around . All she did was lock her self in her room and cry all day yelling at anyone who dared bother her. And who was always chosen to be that lucky, lucky person that got to cook _and _bring her every meal? Me, of course.

I could see the handle of the door turning. I swayed, trying to keep a hold on the bowl while simultaneously backing up away from my mother's wrath. I was too late though, as the door quickly opened and knocked me back onto the hard ground. Hot soup sprayed all over me as the door, once more, slammed shut. I threw down the now empty ceramic bowl while tears sprung into my eyes. I wanted so badly to yell at my mother, to tell her how dreadful she was being. But it would be pointless to cut someone who's already hurt.

The only thing that kept me from exploding was the fact that Kafei was waiting for me just outside. I pulled myself up and grabbed onto the door directly beside me, wrenching it open and falling into the rain. It was dizzying to be forced into the dark gray dusk with rain falling in a halo above me. My sanctuary, so familiar and warm scared me in the cold afternoon rain. Nothing could be distinguished in the fog, not even the large bell that served as the wakeup call to our town. I shivered as a hollow sob rand through me.

--**Kafei**

_Anju?_

The small silhouette of my friend blended in with the rain and fog of the current storm. Lightening flashed far away in the west of the Great Bay, thunder rumbling the town. _It must be her, who else would come up here on such a horrible day? I crawled out from where I was hiding, not even bothering to wipe off the tears that stained my face. I could see her straightened as I crawled closer._

"K-Kafei" She whispered hesitantly.

"Who else would it be, you dummy!" I retorted, pulling her down to sit on the ground with me under the massive bell. She squatted down next to me, her dress fanning around her. We sat in silence.

"Why are you crying?" I asked finally.

"Why are _you_ crying?" She shot back, easily averting an answer. I wiped at my face hurriedly with my long, soggy sleeve. Pink tinted my face.

"I'm _not_ crying!"

"Yes you are" She said more softly. She touched my cheek, smearing the tears and making me even more uncomfortable. Why did girls always have to get so mushy? I waited for her to finally stop touching my face.

"Did you know todays my birthday?" I asked suddenly. I didn't want to tell her about my problems with my friends today. That would just cause way to much embarrassment, especially since it was my birthday. She nodded her head and smiled shyly.

"I have your present too!"

"Yeah, whatever." I said brushing her off.

"Do you want it? Because if you don't, I won't give it to you." She once again ignored my comment. I sighed.

"Fine, gimme my present." I closed my eyes and extended my hands, waving them slightly as if to say 'come on, hurry up'. Secretly my heart fluttered in my chest, contradicting my nonchalant attitude. I wonder what she got me? It's probably some stupid homemade doll of some sort. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a stuffed cow.

I opened my eyes as a small weight fell into my open palm.

"What is it?" I asked in amazement, rolling the charm around in my hand. It's translucent colors reflected onto the walls of the bell, creating ripples of light. Anju smiled and stroked the beetle-like jewel.

"It's the Pendant of Memories." She paused to look at me, her face serious. "My daddy gave it to my mom when they got engaged"

"Engaged?" My eyes opened wide. "Does that mean . . . "

"I want to be with you forever." She muttered, holding onto my hand. Thoughts tumbled around in my head as I tried to grasp what I was getting myself into.

"You want to . . . you want to get married to me?" I looked down at the young girl in front of me. We were kids. We didn't know anything about engagement or marriage. We didn't know what love felt like.

"Yes, more than anything."

The next thing I felt was her breathe hot on my flesh. My brain told me to panic, to run away as fast as I could. But I didn't. I _wanted_ this. And I realized that I wanted to be with her. Forever.

**Just to clear things up, no, they didn't have sex. Their only 12 and 13 years old. Actually, I have a friend that lost her virginity at 13 but whatever. Tell me what you think :3  
Please send in a review to this!**


	3. The Moon's Tear

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:****They're both a quite older in this chapter, with Kafei being about 16 and Anju only a year younger. What will happen? Mwahahaha, you'll have to read to find out. I might put another chapter in between these two in an attempt to fill the three year void if I feel up to it, though.****Also, I added two new characters. Well, not new to the game but new to the story. I added Cremia and the curiosity shop owner's son (the current owner in the game). I remember when the curiosity shop owner gives you the Keaton mask he says something like 'Kafei and I have been friends since childhood.' or something so I thought I'd add him to the mix. I named him Ivo :D**

**By the way, have any of you ever read one of those fanfics that's written by really old, reeeally literate and really asshole-ish people? Well I have, and the whole time reading it all I could think was WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT? Seriously, theres a line between being a good writer and being able to cram a bunch of huge, disconnected words into a piece of literature. Maybe that just means I'm a freaking retard. Haha, sorry guys I just had to get that out there.**

**I'd like to thank ****magii-chan**** for putting this story on her alert list! I'm not quite sure what that is, but I suppose she'll get an E-mail when I post a new chapter? Anyway, thank youuu**

**I also send much love to ****jamesters 3**** , the anonymous first (and only ;-;) reviewer! I wish I could thank you properly 333**

The moons tear

"We simply can't allow you to accompany them, my darling." Mother wrung her sausage hands nervously, orange hair barely being swayed by the warm air blowing in from the window. My filthy rat of a father sat next to her, nodding his head lethargically.

"You're mother's point is quite valid, Kafei." He said slowly, articulating each syllable as if speaking to a fellow business man and not his son. "A trip to the bay would be simply out of the question, especially since there would be no adult supervision." My mother's fingers stopped fidgeting as she placed a manicured hand on my fathers stubby leg. He looked up and smiled a fake smile at her, the smile she had come to know as real, and placed his own hand over hers. _What a bastard._

"Sweetie, you know how we feel about . . . _that girl . . ._" Her voice trailed off awkwardly, as if she was expecting me to lunge up from where I sat and sink my fist into her face. But I remained still, teeming with anger. How is it possible to degrade someone you've never even spoke to? They'd never met her, they didn't know her. The only thing hey knew for sure was that her family made a solid living by working hard, not lying and cheating like themselves. But they refuse to admit that, seeing past it and only recognizing the instability in Anju's life. The disappearance of her father was not her fault, nor was her mothers attitude towards others and my parents had absolutely no right to judge _her_ solely for those reasons! My fingers dug into the leather of the seat and my teeth clenched as I struggled to force out words.

"Don't you _ever_ talk about Anju like that again." I said, my voice hard and controlled. My mother began to once again twist her fat fingers around and pick at her fake fingernails uncomfortably. My father silently lifted his chin in prayer. He turned back to me after a moment, an almost pleading smiled on his thin mouth.

"Kafei . . . son . . . If you would jus-"

"You're no father of mine." I spat, cutting him off sharply. For a split second the smiled remained in his lips, his brain unwilling to believe the words I had spoken. My mother gasped, bracelets clanking as her palm collided with her open mouth. And I left, unable to stand my parents any longer.

I could clearly hear the voice of my mother as the door to my bedroom slammed behind me:

"Just imagine what people will say!"

_Let them speak, _I thought coldly as I ripped open the drawer next to my bed. A tan drawstring bag lay at the bottom of the space, it's smooth leather made from one of the Romani Families long dead bulls. I gathered it it my hands gently, pulling the scrunched up opening apart and laying it on my bed. Inside the bag I threw in clean clothes for about half a week, a very _empty _canteen, 3 books and a pen. I contemplated bring food, deciding finally that we'd be fine with whatever Anju and Cremia brought. My diary lay open on the table to my right, a good read for any prying parent. I quickly closed it and shoved it to the bottom of the bag, making sure to keep it hidden.

A soft knock sounded at my door and my hands clasped around the bag protectively. Mumbling could be heard in the sitting room where my parents sat. They were arguing again.

"You need to stop him!" My mother hissed. "It's your job as his father!" I could hear shuffling as my mother moved away from my door, tiptoeing back to where they sat and grabbing onto my fathers arm. I could hear her push him to my door. I reached for the opposite door, the one that led to the courtyard, and pried it open. Once outside I could feel panic rise in me as my long fingers tangled around my bare neck. _The pendant! _I thought frantically as I twisted back towards my house. I tugged at the door, but it wouldn't budge. My only option was the small window that sat above my writing desk. I cursed silently under my breathe and sprinted over to the small window, ripping it open. I snaked my arm in through the hold and searched blindly for the small jewel, my large hands knocking over bottles of ink and flinging papers. My hands finally found it and I pulled it through the gap of the window just as my parents could be heard opening the door to my room. _So much for a smooth escape_.

And with that, I was off running through the backyard. My legs pounded past the mowed grass, the skeleton tree, the gardening shed and finally, the old rusted gate. I secured it shut behind me and gazed at the moldy alley that now lay sprawled in front of me. I turned back to look at my house just as the gate was locking shut, a twinge of guilt rising up my spine.

As I made my way to the main street, I noticed that a thin veil of water coated everything in the narrow path. My hands ran across the slippery surface of the wall, my fingertips running against each crevice and crack. I wondered silently if this was what a Zora's skin felt like. Ivo, the curiosity shop owners son, mentioned the other day that a Zora came into his father's shop looking to sell a silver scale. Ivo's father wouldn't except the scale so the strange Zora left in a huff, going as far as to call Ivo's father a cheap scape on his way out. But Ivo, who had been in the shop helping, got to see the Zora up close, making him the only one in our group with that information. Just as Ivo was telling me this, his father yelled to him to get back to work and I never got a full description. I reminded myself to ask Ivo when we stopped to pick him up as I dropped my fingers from the slimy wall, a thin layer of mucus covering my hands.

_Will the Zoras be there to greet us?_ I thought after wiping my hand on my pants. _Will we be the only people from Clocktown there? Will Lulu be as pretty as Anju said she was? Did the guitarist really use a dead fish as a guitar? _All these questions reeled in my mind as I made my way towards the busy market ahead. _Is it always tropical there? Are pirates really just around the corner? How do we get to the concert? Is it really underwater? How many people with be th-_

I stopped, mid thought, as my eyes fell on the beautiful young woman across from me, her fiery hair concealed by a floppy sun hat, A simple covered basket resting by the crook of her elbow. Dozens of people separated her from I, and yet she was the only image I saw. Her legs were folded neatly under her as she sat on the stone steps across the square from me, her azure eyes never leaving the book she held in her delicate hands. My heart fluttered nervously in my chest as I wondered if she was just as excited as I was for this trip.

I stepped out from the darkness, leaving my nervousness and anticipation behind me and made my way through the thick crowd, my sight never leaving the small form that was Anju. The gap started to close between us, a smile spreading across my face.

And then, she saw me.

I could see the excitement in her eyes as her arms untangled themselves from the basket and book, her smile sparkling in the sun. Shoes clattered on the cobblestones as she closed the short distance between us, her dress shifting in the wind to reveal her toned legs. I let my conscience wander, my mind wrapping around one racy thought in particular; is _everything_ about her perfect? I shook my head in an attempt to clear my musing, ashamed at the boundaries I had pressed upon. I shouldn't think of Anju that way, however much I wanted to.

My mind was cleared immediately as a body pressed upon my chest. Limbs tangled as we reached around each other, my chin finding it's resting place in her crown of red hair. Her speech was a muffle against the cloth of my shirt.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to make it!" She murmured, relief washing over her sweet voice. My eyes closed and I held her tighter, my hands grasping the small of her back. _I almost didn't . . . _

Our sweet embrace was brokenby a tap on my shoulder. My arms fell from Anju embarrassedly as I turned slowly around, afraid of who it might be. My newly opened eyes fell on the pale face of Cremia, the ranch girl. She smiled sweetly at me, saying a short hello and curtsying, making it hard to resist returning the favor (minus the curtsy). I noticed her hair tied up in the same fashion Anju's was, nearly hidden behind a sun hat. Looking down I noticed she wore the same white dress as Anju. Same faint blue pattern too.

"I don't think I got the memo." I said, fondling my own cotton shirt. Anju laughed and grasped my hand. I noticed the softness of her palms . . .

"Oh Kafei, your such a trend setter that I sometimes wonder if _I'm_ the one out of the loop!" Cremia chimed in jokingly, waking me from my thoughts. I grinned absentmindedly, even though I heard not a word that she said. My palm tightened in Anju's grasp.

"Did you tell Ivo we were coming?" She said, poking me in the side playfully. Last month when we went sledding, I forgot to mention when we were going to Ivo and we ended up wasting hours trying to get his father to let him go. His balding father yelled and screamed and made a huge deal about his son missing work as I sat in the corner, trying to stop from laughing. Bad idea, because Ivo's father saw me and started directing his anger towards me. He told me if didn't shut my 'spoiled little mouth' he'd shut it for me and make me work for him without pay for a whole month. I took that as my time to leave. Ivo came out moments later, a bag bulging with items on his back and a frown on his face. His father had told him if he wanted to go that bad, he wouldn't mind getting his friends to help him sell a 'few things' to the Gorons on the mountain. No one talked to me the whole trip except Anju.

But this time I remembered to tell him, a triumphant smile spreading across my features.

"Of course I did! I told him we'd pick him up at 10:00." I said, raising my head to look at the wooden clock tower that stood in the center of town, it's tall head visible from any location. It read 9:52, perfect timing.

--

I could feel a pair of hands grasp onto my back and push, flinging me into the open doorway of the Curiosity Shop. The door slammed behind me as I cautiously made my way towards the front of the store. _Why is this my job?_ I though stubbornly, my arms swinging by my sides in an attempt at acting casual. I almost started to whistle, but decided against it.

The curiosity shop had always intrigued me, with it's dim lighting, odd visitors and downright weird items. My parents forbade me from going in here, making me want to come here more and more, if only to torture them. Numerous times my father has tried to close this shop down, failing every time. He calls this place 'the black market' and 'house of thieves' and tells me it's a bad influence to hang out with the owner's son. I silently wondered why everyone in this down was so judgmental.

"You know the store's closed, right?" The owner said to me in a low voice. I wasn't sure if he was going to be polite or throw a chair at my head. I can't blame him for hating me though, my father _did _try to close down his business. My voice stuttered as I tried to speak.

"Is Ivo here?" The man behind the counter swiveled in his seat.

"Yea."

I waited a few seconds, not sure if he heard me correctly. "Well, can I see him?"

". . . . I'll get him." He said reluctantly as he turned around. "Ivo, get out here!" Ivo appeared from behind a curtain, broom in hand. He saw me and smiled, giving me the thumbs up sign out of his fathers view. I smiled back.

"So . . . you'll be back to work within a week?" His dad said flatly.

"Yeah, the show is in two days and we plan to stick around for a few after that." Ivo said excitedly, stepping out from behind his father and towards me. His father sighed.

"Fine . . . . just don't be doing anything stupid, you hear?"

"We won't." I answered quickly, making a dash for the door. The soft pat-pat of Ivo's shoes could be heard behind me as I opened the door and stepped outside. Anju and Cremia, who had been relaxing on the raised platform for the flowers, bolted upright as we stepped outside. Cremia's fingers were interlaced together by her chest as she spoke, a look of genuine concern on her face.

"Is everything fine? Can you come, Ivo?" She softened when Ivo nodded his head and smiled.

"My dad gave the a-okay" He said, giving her the OK sign. Anju clapped her hands together joyously, her hat sliding around on her head.

"That's wonderful! I'm so happy all our parents agreed to let us go to the show!" She paused, suddenly facing me. "I forgot to ask, how did you get your parents to let you go?" The grin on her face broke my heart as I contemplated between truth and lies. My own smile faltered as I turned towards her, my voice lowering.

"They told me that they trust me to do the right thing . . ." I said slowly. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but she closed it before any words could escape. She knew I was lying, she knew that my parents didn't want me to be anywhere near her. I could see the hurt in her as she reached into her basket, trying to busy herself. She came back moments later with a small loaf of bread, it's outer crust golden brown.

"Don't worry, I didn't make this batch." She said unusually quietly, breaking it into four pieces and handing one to each of us. After Cremia and Ivo got their pieces they turned around and walked towards the gate, munching and chattering excitedly. When she got to me, her blue gaze held mine. I noticed something new in her eyes as she placed a small piece of bread in my open palm. What was it? My heart dropped when I figured out the difference in her usually vibrant eyes.

They were swimming with tears.

My heart ached as she turned away from me, sliding off the terrace to join Cremia and Ivo up ahead. The piece of bread fell from my hands as I reached out, desperately trying to stop her from leaving me. I didn't want to lie to her anymore, I didn't want want her to be upset. My hand grasped the short sleeve of her dress, whirling her back around to face me. Her tear stained face was parallel to the ground as her head hung low, her eyes closed. She shook with sobs.

"Anju, please . . ." I pleaded as my arms wrapped around her, my lips close to her ear, "You know how my parents are, you know how they dislike anyone but themselves. Don't take anything they say personally. You're beautiful, you're amazing, you're perfect" My frantic voice stopped abruptly as I came to a realization with myself.

". . . I love you." I said simply, gathering her against my body. Everything went silent. The clock tower stopped. Time didn't exist. Only her and I, Anju and Kafei, existed in this foreign world. Our hearts beating like drums against each other, her breath the vibration of cello strings on my chest. Voices called to us, but we didn't care.

Her eyes lifted towards the heavens to meet mine, a single tear left on her cheek. It shone in the morning sun, beautiful and glimmering on her pale face. My finger lifted to wipe it off, to erase the pain off her skin. But I knew the pain would always be there etched into her skin, even If the salty water was not. As I move towards her face something delicate stopped me. I watched as her own pale hand gathered the tear on her fingertip and lifted into the air, high into the sky as far as she could reach. The peaceful face of our lunar sphere reflected off of the drop of water.

"It's a Moon's tear." She murmured before gently placing it under my eye and smiling. As it slowly dripped down my cheek, I thought of the night I had first talked to Anju as a child. I noticed that even in the hot sun, her face still glowed like the shining moon. My hands held onto her waist as my lips moved dangerously close to hers, eyes never leaving my beautiful moon.

The tears that fell from her eyes would forever belong to the moon. My tears . . . my moon.

**So there yah go, sappiness, angst and a little sarcasm all tied into one. I'll do the whole Indigo-go's concert thing in the next chapter. I'm too lazy right now D:**

**If you review I'll mention you at the beginning of the next chapteeeer. -dangles cookies- Is that temping enough? Hmmm? HMMMM? WILL YOU REVIEW NOW?**


	4. Sand

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry for the long wait guys, I had to wait until school got over so I could finally make time to write this chapter. The graduation thing was such a big deal yesterday even though it's just eighth grade. Seriously though, we had to dress up all fancy and get all these awards and shit. In other words, it was pretty Gaaaaaayy.**

**I'd like to thank the same people (Jaimie and ****magii-chan) for reviewing and eating my cookies. HAHA, IT WAS A TRAP! You guys are the people that keep me writing chapters and without you, I'd have no inspiration. THANK YOU! :)**

Sand

It was hot.

Sweat clung to my neck and back as I lay open-eyed in the middle of a field. _It can't be later than midnight, _I guessed as my eyes studied the gibbous moon that loomed above us. A dozen people lay circled around, their bodies all pointing in different directions. Some had blankets, some slept covered in nothing. Some lay curled around another, some slept alone. A few lay scattered away from the group we had formed, ostracizing themselves. Despite our different preferences, we all shared a common goal. That goal was to reach the bay and see the only musical performance our land of Termina had, the Indigo-Go's. But this wasn't just some stupid concert, it meant something to all of us. We were teenagers trying to find something to live for. We all knew what we would be when we grew old, we all knew how our lives would start. We will take our parents jobs when they grow unable to work, we would be them and continue where they left off. We had no hope to start our own lives, we would just follow the path set for us. But this . . . this was an adventure.

Where would this journey take us?

We were too optimistic to admit that we would never see these sights again. The ocean, the canyon, the distant snowcapped mountains, the faraway swamp . . . Even the great field we lay in would become a mystery once we became adults. Most of our traveling troupe took for granted everything that surrounded us. But I knew this would be our last chance. I'm sixteen and almost a man, meaning my job as mayor will begin in only a few short years. I have no time to waste doing nothing.

As my eyes scanned the masses of bodies, I noticed three empty spaces close to me. A blanket the length of large bed lay crumpled and vacant directly next to me, it's occupants long gone into the night. On the other side of me, the same sight only with a smaller blanket.

_"_Ivo?" I asked the night air quietly, cupping my mouth. "Cremia . . . Anju?" No answer. Anxiety started to creep up my spine as my body slowly moved from prone to crouching. I balanced on my haunches and reached a long hand into my open bag, poking around until my fingers fell on a small knife. I flicked it open and on the cool metal, saw my distorted reflection. My face looked so scared . . . so young. Not ready to defend anyone in the least, especially not with a fishing knife. But I had to get to the bottom of this and just like that, the knife was in my pocket and I was on my feet making my way towards the nearest opening. My thoughts lay on the worst possible situation. Had they all been kidnapped? Or worse, killed? I shook my head, unable to believe any of that. I was drowsy from a mere two hours sleep, my head and body ached from the adrenaline and now I was thinking about my friends dying. What is _wrong _with me?

It was cooler now that I was in the open field, cold even. But my cheeks were still flushed from the pulse of body heat that had surrounded me minutes before, my whole body still warm. I shivered as my eyes strained to try and make out shapes in the blackness. Scrubs of bushes and trees lay not to far from where I stood, the only thing visible between them the small silhouette of a human. Or at least, I hoped a human. I swallowed hard and reached into me pocked, my fingers clumsily grasping the knife. The shape turned towards me, and for a second I thought it was about to lunge. I let out a breathe I didn't even know I was holding in as it lifted an arm and motioned me over. I moved closer, hesitant and still unsure of this was the form of my friend. As he stepped into the moonlight I was relieved to find the smiling face of Ivo. I suddenly felt foolish for bringing a knife, my hand releasing it's grip and removing itself from my pocket. I scanned the trees in front of me only to find that Anju and Cremia weren't with him. Panic once again clouded my thoughts.

"What about Anju an-" I blurted and he quickly covered my mouth with his palm, clamping it shut. With his other hand he motioned with a finger to his lips and then pointed behind the small outcrop of trees towards a pool of water. I looked at him quizzically, removing his hand easily and giving him and angry glance.

"I was worried sick!" I whispered fiercely, "I thought you guys had been stolen or something! Now tell me where they are!"

He gave a sideways glance towards the same place he pointed to before. "They're over there. They'll know we're here if you don't shut up, too."

"Wait . . . they don't know you're here listening to them talk? Are you s_pying_?" I looked at him, my mouth agape.

"Spying, listening, keep an eye out for them, what's the difference?" He replied coolly, his eyes never leaving their place. "You'd be surprised at the things they talk about." He added with a chuckle.

I was appalled at him, anger starting to bubble up in my chest. How dare he listen to their conversation. He knew just as well as I that neither one of them would ever even think of eavesdropping on him.

I grabbed the collar of his shirt roughly, shoving him back into a tree. My breath was ragged as I managed to sputter out a short sentence; "Never, EVER disrespect _my_ Anju again!" The action surprised me almost as much as it surprised the stunned Ivo. My arm became limp and I let him go of him. He slid down to the ground. _Since when had Anju became mine?_

"I didn't think you'd mind . . ." He said hesitantly, getting up and backing away slowly. "I'm going to go back to camp. Just calm down . . . Okay?" He looked at me as if I was being odd. And I admit, that outburst was uncharacteristic of me, but he was watching them. Watching them! Listening to everything thing they said, every secret they shared! I nodded, my mouth trying to form an apologetic smile. My hand ached with the regret of not punching him in the face.

The small voice of Anju broke the silence. She was laughing at something Cremia had done. I wanted so badly to see her, but my mind told me I'd be contradicting myself. And if I stayed, that's exactly what I'd be doing. I'd be a hypocrite. That would be violating both of them the same exact way Ivo had. _What had I become? Assaulting my friend for doing the very same thing I was about to do. _I ran my hand over the rough bark of a nearby tree and bit my lip, trying to decide what to do. _Am I really that protective and jealous of a person? _My shoes crunched against the rocky sand below me. My eyes flickered to the dying flame of the distant campfire, then to the beach in front of me.

_I have become a monster._

--

My head lay in the coarse grass of the field, my eyes refusing to leave the hidden beach.

Sleep did not come easy for me that night.

--Anju's pov--

"We love each other." I said simply, my toes brushing against the satiny water below. I smiled as my imagination placed Kafei behind me on the ripples of water, his long fingers brushing against my hair, my jaw . . . my neck. My hand gently skimmed against my face, attempting to capture his imaginary touch. I was startled as Cremia jolted me out of my daydream by laughing, her head flinging back to create a cascade of orange hair down her back. This was so unlike Cremia, so rude, so audacious! My face reddened at her gesture.

"Stop laughing." I said, embarrassed. She grasped onto my hand and grinned, one last chuckle escaping her lips.

"Little Anju, could you really know what love is?" Something was so very wrong with the way she spoke to me. Her voice was like I a mother mocking a child, she was hiding something under that superiority.

"Of course I do." I retaliated softly. I couldn't hide the pained expression that spread across my face as I played with my fingers nervously. Not even a year my senior and she still acts as if she's vastly more mature than I was. I lifted my chin and continued slowly, "When someone can make you feel like your worth everything . . . When someone can make you feel like you can be somebody . . . that you _are_ somebody," I held her gaze steadily, releasing my hands from her grasp. "And when you can return those feelings to that person, you know what love really means. "

"Oh Anju . . ." I could sense I twinge of hurt in her voice as she trailed off. _Was she . . . jealous of me? "_I really think you two will be happy." She smiled softly and looked down, her eyes wandering the glassy surface of the pond. Just like that, her emotion changed. It suddenly clicked in my mind.

"Do you like Kafei too?" She looked up startled, her mouth opening. But she recovered quickly, her eyes returning to match the stony color of the water.

"I . . . _did_." She looked down at my face and smiled.

"Cremia . . ." I started gently, "I'm sorry." Suddenly, the only thing I could feel was immense pity for the girl sitting next to me. How much it must have pained her to see Kafei and I together. Guilt rose in my throat like bile. _If only I had realized this sooner._

"Don't look so sad." She said shoving me gently. Lazy flies buzzed around us, attracted to the heat of our skin. I swatted them away halfheartedly as Cremia stirred next to me. I could see her long body slide off the bank and into the water, her eyes closing at the sudden coldness.

"It's just not fair how life is sometimes . . ." She said thoughtfully, pausing to examine a small frog that swam close to her, only it's slimy head barely visible. Her eyes flicked back to me. "I tried so hard to get him to like me."

I wasn't sure If she was expecting me to respond, so I just sat there across from her, my mouth unmoving.

"But he obviously never like me _that _way."

I didn't know what to say to her. Tell her that she'll be happy some day? Tell her she could have Kafei? I was at a loss for words. So I just apologized again.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." Her voice cut through the still night like a knife slicing through my skin. I cringed away from her. "That's the problem with you, you're so quick to take the blame!" Her angry eyes held mine. "Do you even have a backbone? Or maybe you don't need one now that you have your little friend to protect you from everything!"

_At least I have someone who cares for me._

"Please don't yell, Cremia." I muttered softly, trying to hide how much her words stung me. Cremia's long hair was the only thing visible as she sunk all the way into the water, her blue eyes emerging moments later. The water lapped at her chin.

"I didn't mean to hurt you." I said quietly as I reached down to touch a stand of her hair.

She pulled away from me, the red stands of silk retreating from my grasp.

**Sorry for the horrible ending! The chapter wasn't finished but I felt like uploading it anyway because I'm a crazy skankwhore like that.  
**


	5. Kiss Me

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yeah, yeah I know. It's short, okay? And nothing was explained and it was basically just a filler chapter. Things that I need to explain the next chapter: why Anju isn't freaked out that Kafei fell asleep right near where her and Cremia were and why everything I write makes no sense. Anywho, thanks all my lovely reviewers! You guys are freakin' amazing!**

**Magii-chan and Jamesters for continually reviewing. **

**Kaede Karasuma for that AWESOME review. Seriously, that's one of the nicest things that anyones ever said about my work and it made my day! I'm so flattered!! **

**And lastly, for all the people that have put this story on their alert and fav lists. You guys make me feel so great :D**

Kiss Me

The moon was falling.

Onto our small town, damned from the beginning.

My family was gone.

Dead.

It was just Anju.

And she was burning.

Her flesh peeled off

like the red skin of an apple

And she cried, and cried.

And I couldn't help

because my hands were melting.

I could see the bone through my arm

and the veins in my charred legs.

But we were married,

our wedding masks on our faces

forever.

Melted onto our features like hot wax.

I was the sun.

She was the moon.

Oh the irony in the masks we made.

If only Termina knew . . .

If only _we_ knew,

that today was a horrible day

for a wedding.

Everywhere; flames.

Everything . . . gone.

"Kafei – what's wrong?!"

My limbs were tense, the whole of my body aching and sore. Images flashed in front of my closed lids. Burning. Dying. Red.

I writhed uncomfortably as soft moans fell from my lips.

"No . . . no . . . Anju, no!" I whispered frantically, my hands grasping at the first thing that came into their clutches. My back arched as I tried to escape the heat. The flames in my vision grew higher and higher, devouring everything in sight like a feral beast. Screaming people. Barking dogs. Yelling. Destroying. Crumbling. The countdown of the clock.

And just like that, the fire was gone, diminished by a white light. My face was suddenly cool, my mind becoming comfortably fuzzy. I opened my eyes.

_It was all just . . . a dream?_

Her body was draped over my torso, her cheek pressed against my jaw.

"Wake up . . . wake up . . . wake up." Anju pleaded over and over again, her breath a cold whisper against my face. Nails tore at my shirt, fingers dug into my ribs. She shook me. I winced.

_You died. I saw it happen._

She pulled away from me slowly, her face full of shock. My mind buzzed groggily, had she heard my thoughts_?_ No . . . she couldn't have. She must have been reacting to the sharp intake of breath I took as she moved me. I shook my head. I just couldn't grasp the fact that she was here and in front of me.

T_he image was so very real._

_Her skin . . ._

_burning off._

"It was just a dream." She said gently as if hearing my thoughts, fear cutting into her usually calm voice. A hand – her hand – slid against my face, the urgency in each finger transferring from her to me like electric sparks. I pressed my face into her palm, the coolness spreading over my body, waking me.

"Y-yeah, just a dream" I repeated dazedly. Her slender hand ran along my face; up across my temples and to my forehead. She pushed back my dark mauve hair, kissing the exposed skin with shaking lips.

"Are you . . . okay?" Her voice was hesitant, as if at any moment she thought I would start thrashing around again. I could feel her hand slide off my head, my bangs breaking free and spraying into my red eyes.

"I'm fine. Really."

Her hand found it's way back onto my chest, her fingers tickling my collarbone. Her ear pressed against the area where my heart was. She was listening to it beat erratically.

"What you saw must have been horrific." She said as she lifted her head to look at me. "do you want to talk about it?"

"No." I said quickly. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure you don't want to-"

"Anju, I said it was nothing!" I replied forcefully and lifted myself into a sitting position. I looked away from her, ashamed, as her eyes widened in astonishment. Her hands quickly detached themselves from my shirt as she retaliated..

"I . . . didn't mean to upset you. I just-" I started to say in my defense. "I just . . . it's too . . . " Once again, the words wouldn't come easy as I struggled to find away around the truth. "It's too . . . too _personal_ I guess."

Wrong choice of words. Figures.

"You guess?" She mused, mimicking my nonchalant tone. "You guess . . . So that's what my feelings mean to you?" She turned back to me, fuming. "So now that we know that what you're nightmares are too personal to be discussed with the person you love, if you even do anymore because you're not acting like it, than I guess I don't need to tell you about my thoughts or fears or anything anymore! What, does it bore you when I tell you about my troubles? Do you no longer care about me? About us?! I wonder-"

In one lithe movement I was on top of her, my lips moving hot and loose against her own, my hands gathering just above her jaw on either side. I pressed against her hard, my pelvis resting against her abdomen and my knees gathering by her on opposite sides of her hips. My elbows lay on the moss next to her, parallel to each shoulder, caging her in.

But she turned stoical under my touch. Her lips were like stone as her head turned away from me, my mouth smearing across her cheek at the sudden movement. I pretended not to notice and instead brushed my fingertips against her cheek bone gently.

"You know, you can't just fix everything by molesting me." She said stubbornly after a few moments.

"Take it back." My voice was like honey as I whispered into her ear, my fingers continuing their stroking. Anju didn't move.

"Take _what_ back?" She answered adamantly.

"What you said. Take it back." I murmured. My eyes closed as my nose brushed against her lobe, followed shortly by my eager lips. "Please Anju . . ." I breathed.

"About molesting me? Kafei, I was only jo-" I cut her off again, only this time, with words.

"How could you even _think_ that I didn't love you?"

We looked at each other for a long while, neither one of us uttering a single word. Me; limply suspended above her and feeling slightly foolish, Anju; staring at me blankly.

But everything drained away when she moved, her delicate hands reaching up to cup my cheek, her long fingers lingering just by the edge of my lashes.

"How could you even think that I meant that?

--

**That's all for now, kiddies. Come back soon, ya hear?**


	6. We'd Wear our Masks as our People Fled

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ehh, just some crappy filler poems that are really badbadbad. I cannot write poems for shit. Lol**

**If you haven't read the article from Zelda Universe concerning Stone Tower Temple/ Tower of Babel theory, than I suggest that you do before reading this because it probably won't make sense.**

**Jamesters A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I'm sososososo happy you like my story that much. You're so nice! :)**

We'd Wear our Masks as our People Fled

_Your hair was honey_

_Your eyes, the sea_

_I looked at the lips_

_that held the key_

_The key to my heart_

_The key to my love_

_deep in your soul_

_as pure as a dove_

_And we made a promise_

_when we were young_

_that we would kiss_

_when the final bell rung._

_But that was before we knew_

_that our town would expire_

_because of that damned temple_

_when it built it's last spire_

_The gods grew angry _

_at the people of Ikana_

_and flipped it upside down_

_like the Tower of Babel_

_And because of that we weep_

_for the evil has gone loose_

_in the form of that mask_

_with Terminian's refusing truce_

_Our nations fought and they feuded_

_and refused to take blame_

_for what they had caused;_

_the start of a terrifying game._

_So here we are now_

_In the Town destined to fall_

_waiting for the moon_

_to drop like a child's ball_

_We are calm,_

_my wife and I_

_As we wait for our fate_

_without uttering a cry_

_At the carnival_

_as we wed,_

_we'd wear our masks_

_As our people fled_


	7. Sunrise

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey guys! I feel a little down in the dumps because I'm almost done with the new book Breaking Dawn. I always get really depressed after finishing anything, especially books, so you'll have to bear with me since I feel totally insignificant and unable to write compared to Stephanie Meyer. I dunno, maybe it's just my inner nerd speaking or whatevs xD**

**But thanks again to the usuals (you guys know who you are :D ) and a very special thanks to ****Elle Steining**** for putting this on your alert list, faving, being awesome, reading every chapter, reviewing a whole freakin' lot and I think I'm going to elope with you. Srsly, you up for Vegas? Bwahahaha**

**EDIT:** I redid the ending. I kind of sucked.

Sunrise

(so generic )

The rising sun bled pools of light into the dull, gray ocean, the sky's arterial liquid spilling across Termina and bathing it in poppy red light. Salty water lapped at my waist as I waded deeper, my eyes never far from the sandy bank where Anju sat.

"Can you see it?" She called, raising her hand above her eyes like a visor. She was talking, of course, of the sunrise.

"Yes," I replied, my own hand mimicking the motion "And it's beautiful."

You see, back in Clock Town we had never laid eyes on the actual sunrise or sunset. Our own interpretation of it was when the sun dipped past the great walls that caged us in, only to rise back over those same walls twelve hours later. We'd never really thought about why it ended so suddenly and abruptly at those barriers, we just . . . I don't know, assumed that was just the way it was. But now, seeing this golden orb rise from the gray ocean like some kind of phoenix rising from the ashes, I feel as if my existence has been reborn.

I have my own life to live.

I now know that I _don't_ have to be my father. I am Kafei, and no one can change that. Not my parents, nor Anju's. Not even the four guardians can hold me back from what I will do and who I will be. I feel like yelling, screaming to the world that I'm free from the invisible bonds that held me back from doing countless numbers of things!

But, as I stare at the blinding light, I realize that all those ropes that held me back, every expectation and command that had become thread to feed the bonds, would take more than just the rising sun and a trip to the beach to sever.

'Our city was not built in one day,' My father told me once, 'Be patient and move slow. Only than will anything good come of it.' Funny how these things work out. I'm sure that if he knew that I was using his own advice to help me distance myself from him, he'd immediately retract it. But oh well, thanks dad!

Hmm, patience . . . something I definitely did _not_ have.

I turned my head away from the ocean, my eyes snagging on Anju, who, in the dim morning light, glowed with the virtue I lacked. She had waited for me to grow into a man, to accept her as not only a friend, but someone who would become her husband one day. She had been nothing but patient those longs nights I spent begging and pleading my parents to let me be with her, to let me hold her freely without scrutiny. She was always there for me and at this moment, I knew she always would be, just as I would be for her.

But most of all, I needed her now. I needed her to be my rock, to help me through this turbulent times. I need her to help me cut these ties that hold me back. I need her to be my light, my goddess. She would be my patience, and I her strength.

She flashed her warmth-bringing smile at me, my insides melting into a pool of affection. That grin told me everything would be fine, it would all work out in the end, that I was doing nothing wrong. I needn't even say a word for her to soothe me, she just did it without knowing.

"_Honey_, why don't you come join me?" I mocked, my hand extending out to her.

"Oh, _Darling_," She swooned, her arms lifting her off the sand so she could dance towards me, "I'd want nothing more!"

We loved to make fun Honey and Darling – who wouldn't? Two people so in love they never even stopped to tell anyone their true names? So caught up in each other that they just danced all around the whole day? How stupid, how foolish.

We were jealous.

They were shameless. They didn't care who saw or didn't seem them, they just cooed each others pet names all day, dancing their troubles away. Oh how we wished we could do that . . .

"Anju, love, I thought you hated deep water?" I noticed as she sank into the salty liquid, her eyes never leaving her submersed feet. The water surround her knees.

"I do." She admitted, but continued towards me. It gurgled by her hips.

"An . . .ju?" I questioned as my eyebrow arched. It was at her ribs.

"hm?" Then her chest.

"What are you doing?"

"I trust you. I know you'll catch me if I fall . . . or sink." She ended with a small laugh, her eyes lighting up the whole bay.

"Think of it in a positive light," I reassured as my hand reached out to grasp hers, "We could always use you as the anchor if we ever go out on the boat."

"Ha ha, very clever Kafei." She said, clinging to my arm for support. "You're almost as funny as Ivo – which personally, I wouldn't be very proud about." A smug grin played across her features, but I wasn't looking. My eyes instead found their place a mile away at the campsite where our group lay now, probably sleeping.

Oh god . . . how was I going to_ face him_? After what happened last night, how was I going to explain myself, that I was still groggy and mad about them leaving me and UGH! What was I going to do? I hadn't even explain to Anju why I was there – thank the Guardians she hadn't asked yet – so how was I supposed to explain to my best friend why I freaking slammed him into a tree. What was I supposed to say '_Sorry man, I was a little sleepy when I caught you spying on my girlfriend. Nah, it's no problem. But next time, try not to piss me off before that, kay?' _

"You alright?" A look of genuine concern was spread across her face.

_No!_ My mind screamed, _I am NOT alright!_

"Yeah. Just peachy."

"Tell me." She commanded. Obviously she wasn't afraid of me lashing out on her as I did when she pried me for information before. What a brave girl, facing the angst and rage of Kafei all over again.

"Is it about how you slept near where we ran off to?" She continued and a sheepish smiled danced on my mouth, "Because I'm not mad, not one bit. I actually find it kind of s-" My grin only grew wider as her mouth quickly changed from the word sexy and formed onto a more modest version. God forbid she says something even remotely risqué around me_._ "_Appealing _that you wanted to keep me protected so badly."

_Appealing_, huh? Or was the word she meant _Appalling? _Anyway, I was just glad for the diversion away from the subject of Ivo. One more thing to hold off telling her until later.

"So," I ventured, "What else about me do you find _appealing_?"

Her face flushed scarlet as her free hand rose up to punch my shoulder gently (or maybe she tried as hard as she could?) but I just smirked. "You little self-absorbed bastard!" She cried.

It was good, sometimes, to get away from all the lovey stuff. Sure, It was a hell of a lot of fun, but relationships aren't just physical, at least not for Anju and I. Personally, I love times like this. Maybe it's just because I'm still just a boy at heart, but I relish the small bickering between us. It makes this whole relationship seem more . . . real, I suppose.

I can't help but think that perfection has to be evened out with reality, even if our reality is forced.

"But if you really want to know . . ." Her eyes peered back at my own through lashes, her head tilted up to look at my surprised face. "I love you're hair, you're eyes, you're lovely smile" Each word was accompanied by the brushing of her hand against the corresponding part of my body. "I love you're hands, you're arms, you're chest . . . . you're lips . . . I love how you say my name, how you curse at me when I'm being stupid, how, when I'm upset you always, _always_ find a way to make it all better. I love how breathe, how you walk, how you _exist_. Kafei, you must know now that I love everything about you. But most of all, I love how you're love for me burns at the very bottom of you're heart and all the way to the top." She placed her tiny palm against my chest, right over where my heart throbbed. My own fingers curled around her hand, nearly double to size and twice as long.

"Don't ever leave me" I said quietly.

"I won't." She promised. She leaned forward to press herself against me, her cheek just resting on top of our hands.

She looked so . . . fragile, so vulnerable.

And I have absolutely no clue why I thought this. It might have been been because I was so much taller than her, or maybe it was because I just felt deep within my core the need to protect her. Point is, she needed me more than I thought.

I hugged her tighter, brushed my lips against her hair and whispered that I loved her much more than she thought I did. I loved her much more than just my heart could contain. I loved her as the ocean loves the sand, or how the sun loves the moon. The whole earth rocked with the love that I had for her. She smiled at that.

"Tell me what you like best about me." She said a little self consciously after a few moments.

"Well," I murmured into her hair, "I love you're skin and you're freckles, you're hair, neck and eyes. You're body." She buried her head into my chest and I could feel her blush. "I love how I'm the only one who sees the girl with no inhibitions, I love every personality quirk you have, even you're habit of apologizing, I love who you are, and if you ever change I'll be _sure_ to use you as a boat anchor."

She sighed, "Oh Kafei, you were doing so _good _up until that last part. Ah well, beggars cant be choosers."

We stayed silent no more than a moments pause.

"Anju, I don't think you used the right analogy."

She paused thoughtfully before continuing, a wry smile smile curving onto her lips "I suppose you're right. Maybe I should have said 'All good things come to an end'?"

"Better," I started, "But who said I was finished?"

With that I bent down to press my lips gently onto hers. I could feel the smile still lingering on her lips as I moved against her, a small puff of breath escaping her mouth. Her body began to shake under me. She was laughing.

"You know Anju," I said pulling her convulsing body away and catching her contagious laugh, "You make this whole kissing thing awfully hard."

"I - know!" She panted between giggles, "But I c-can't stop!"

"I didn't think what I said was that stupid." I muttered defensively after a few minuted of listening to her laugh at me.

"N-no Kafei! It was _charming_!" She double over, tears staining her face, "I'm laughing at how utterly _stupid_ I sound saying those proverbs! I guess only elderly people can talk like that and actually sound sensible! When I'm in my eighties, remind me to try again!"


	8. ATTENTION

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: SO HEY GAIIIZ!!!!**

**I've been M.i.a for a comple of monthes because I started school. Yeah I know; lame excuse, right? But anyway, I started writing the next chapter a few days ago because I just remembered about this story (pshhhfffttt) and I went on this crazy drawing spree that same day. So instead of a new chapter right now, you get two pictures? fair trade?**

**_To view, take out the spaces between roolph . deviantart . com_**

**Yeah so I think this picture takes place when Anju and Kafei play tonsil hockey on the beach in the last chapter **

**http://roolph . deviantart . com/art/fdkslfjsfuckmakeoutjhgjf-105190540**

**And this one is a possible spoiler? Hah, if I ever even get that far (weird line in the center for some reason)  
**

**http://roolph . deviantart . com/art/Anju-x-Kafei-baby-momma-105190682**

**Aaaaaaand that's all for now (unless I get yelled at for putting links to drawings in here) lolz**


	9. Shame

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: LOL****FIUME**** MEANS RIVER IN ITALIAN.**

**UHH, SO KAFEI'S WRITING IN HIS JOURNAL ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED EARLIER THAT MORNING, JUST IN CASE ANYONE IS CONFUSED. GDFKJGDFS I HAVENT UPDATED IN OVER 54332825 YEARS. YEAH, SO THIS IS IN CAPS CUS IM A LAZY HO LIKE THAT AND I DON'T FEEL LIKE RETYPING THE INTRO.**

**UGH, I WROTE THIS REAL QUICK (HOLY SHIT, I FORGOT HOW TO SPELL QUICK – I WAS GOING TO SPELL IT KWIK. LOL) AND ITS REALLY LATE SO I JUST WANT TO POST THIS AND GO TO SLEEP.**

**THANK YOU, REVIEWERS! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!**

Shame

Y_ou came into my life when I least expected it._

_Tame and beautiful, you became the center of my world._

_And, as you lay there in the sand, your body curled around my own, I wonder if you'll ever disappear from my life. I wonder if this is all some dream that my mind fabricated in an attempt to soothe my loneliness. But, I think that even if you _were_ a dream, I'd still be happy to just hold you in my sleep._

_But I know that I'm real, and I know that you're real. We're real; _this_ is _real.

My hand stopped it procession across the pages of my journal. Its thick paper crinkled in protest as I closed it and placed my pen in its bindings.

When I looked up, I was startled to find my vision obscured by a figure bending at the waist, facing me eye-to-eye.

"I sometimes wonder what you write in there." The voice, Crimea's, was friendly enough, although it dripped with something that could have been dark sarcasm. I put the book protectively in my bag, afraid that she would ask to read it. "You always were creative, even when we were little. Didn't you write the whole Bombers notebook?"

"What? Oh – ha, I remember that thing. Nah, we all kind of wrote it."

She rolled her eyes and snorted, "Yeah, I can just picture Ivo writing."

"Hey, he may not be a genius, but he's not totally retarded."

The conversation faded into silence, but Crimea remained station directly in front of me. I busied myself with pulling up weeds from the stark and dry earth. The sky was cloudless and hot; a sure sign of the approaching beach.

"What does a _guy_ write in a diary?" She questioned, not even attempting to hide the acrimony that took over her tone.

"What does a _girl_ write in a diary?" I shot back defensively, the playfulness leaving my voice. I glared up at her. "It has nothing to do with what sex you are, but rather what type of person. I don't want to forget what fun is when I'm old and boring. Are only girls allowed to write?"

"I suppose not . . ." She shoved me jokingly, my body falling back onto the blankets below, and ruffled my hair with a open fist. She tried to lighten the heavy mood that had been created, but only managed to fuel my aggravation. "You're so sensitive, little Kafei"

I sneered at her, half lightheartedly and half truly annoyed with her false superiority, and nudged her hand away.

"I'm at least a year older than you."

"Yeah, physically." She flicked my forehead, "Mentally, I'm way more mature."

I scanned the horizon, toning her voice out so that it was a soft hum in my ears. My eyes fell on Ivo, who sat talking with female around our age. I didn't know who the girl was, nor did I particularly care, but I knew that knowing Ivo might be interested in another girl would annoy the hell out of Cremia. I pointed towards him, and said sarcastically "Ivo looks lonely over there, go bother him."

She turned her head to see Ivo and quickly straightened her body and began to walk away, pushing orange hair off of her shoulder with a casual flick of her wrist, trying to hide the jealousy that I knew was there. "I think I'll take you up on that offer – I'd rather hang out with a _guy_ anyway."

_Ouch._

I ignored her, my pride stung by her assault on my ego. I watched with narrowed eyes as she sauntered away, her hips swinging with triumph. I was so tempted to make a comment about how huge her ass looked in the tight fitting dress that she wore, but managed to convince myself not to stoop to her level. Instead I turned away from her, a sigh billowing from my lips.

The sun shone bright in the afternoon sky, it's rays basking the rocky sand in a golden sheet, the water shining like polished silver. Everything in Termina was beautiful; every blade of grass, every tree, and every creature glowing with exotic wonder. Birds, nearly the only familiar animals, filled the world with music. I smiled in Bliss.

"Kafei! Kafei, look! Look what I made!" I heard the soft patter of her feet on the sandy grass before I heard her excited voice. I looked up, my eyes catching on Anju's. They sparkled in the mid-morning sunlight.

Skidding to a halt and collapsing onto her knees adjacent to me, she continued, her voice broken by jagged breaths of air. "I met one of the other travelers – You see the Zora over there? Yes, that one, the one with the gold chain around his neck – he taught me how to string a pearl necklace!" Anju touched the small beads around her neck with a delicate hand. "It sounds painfully easy, I know, but it's actually challenging. First, you have to select the right kind of pearls, which in its own is hard enough, then you have to use this odd tool that looks almost like a needle but much sharper and drill a hole through each one. Oh Kafei, you'd be amazed at how fast this Zora was!"

I examined the tiny beads that encircled her neck, amazed that there was even a utensil small enough to use on each pearl. Pushing the wet hair off of her shoulders absentmindedly, I touched the necklace.

"It's very pretty." I said, trying not to notice the slight feeling of jealousy that this stranger had present Anju with something that I could not. "And kind of him to give it to you. I hear pearls from the Bay are very rare."

"Really?" She cocked her head to the side, "Because he had a whole pouch full of just pearls."

"Hmm, that's strange. Maybe the Zora's are just holding out on us." I said ruefully, my eyes still held on the necklace. It really was a beautiful piece of jewelry, and it looked even better around Anju's neck. The beads sparkled on my fingertips.

"His name is Fiume." She mused, as if she hadn't even heard my comment. "He was living in ClockTown with his aunt before leaving for this trip, but he's going to stay at the Bay when we get their to take care of his sisters and oh my god I forgot to tell you – his older sister is Lulu! Lulu, as in Lulu of the Indigo Go's! Can you believe it?" She sighed and leaned back onto her palms, her head falling onto her shoulder. "What luck to be related to someone with so much talent."

"Fiume, huh? Doesn't that mean River or something in ancient Terminian?" I asked, rolling my head towards her.

Anju shrugged, a grin crinkling around the corners of her eyes, "I wouldn't know, I'm not the one who had the private tutor."

"Would you shut up about that? It's not like it was my idea!" I said in mock anger as I nudged the inside of her elbow with my forearm, making her lose her balance and collapse to the ground. I swung an arm around so that my elbow rested on the ground on the opposite side of her, my face close to her face. I brushed the tip of my nose against hers, eliciting from her lips a slight laugh.

"I'm happy that you're smart, Kafei." She wrapped her arm around my neck, laughing, "I mean, one of us has to be."

I didn't laugh, but instead pulled away, irritated. "You know that's not true! You're one of the most intelligent people I know."

Anju smiled even wider, mocking my inability to take a joke. She used my shoulders to pull herself up to my face, brushing her lips against my own. "Settle down Kafei, I was only being funny."

"Yeah, well that's not funny. You need to give yourself more respect." I whispered sullenly, my mouth finding its way back to her lips. I pressed down on her, kissing her hard and running a hand through her hair. If only life could always be this sweet, without having to hide in shame, or lie to the protect the people you love. If my mother and father had just been open-minded for _once_ in their lives; if only Anju's mother hadn't been so bitter about the loss of her husband, Anju and myself could have been living happily together! Our parents couldn't just let go and let us be adults, they had to shelter us and treat us as if we were children.

"This morning was wonderful." Anju murmured after I had pulled away. She sighed, her fingers tracing the knuckles on my hand in her hair. "Falling asleep on the warm sand with you by my side . . ."

I thought back to earlier this morning and remembered the rising sun, its warmth lulling us to sleep. "Nothing could have been more perfect."

Her eyes flicked up to mine, her gaze steady. "I can think of one thing."

I groaned, pushing off of her and onto a dying patch of rough crabgrass. "Don't do this to me, Anju. You know how I feel about _that._"

"Come on, Kafei! I'm not a little kid, I'm sixteen already! I think I can make my own decisions."

"But this isn't just _your_ decision, it's _mine_ too, and I want us to wait until we've been married." I turned away from her, my voice low and unintentionally distant, "I don't want you to have any regrets."

"Kafei . . ." Her voice was soft an sympathetic, but I could hear the resolve that burned within her. "There's no one that I would rather be with."

I turned my head to face her. She sat upright on her thighs, her hands digging into the grass in front of her in defiance. Admittedly, I did treat her as if she were a child, but it was because I wanted to shield her from pain. Marriage acted as that shield, not to mention it bought me the time I needed to think. More than anything in the world, I wanted to be with her; to feel her touch, her soft embrace, to finally solidify our relationship. It wasn't just her emotional state I was worried about either, I knew that it would hurt her physically, that much was a given. But if I could just be sure that she really wanted this, and wasn't just thinking like a foolhardy teenager, I could at least prevent the mental pain.

"Anju, you don't know the agony of putting your whole heart, your whole being into something, only to realize you don't love that person. I know what that feels like, I made the mistake of having sex with a girl that meant nothing to me." I stroked her thin hand gently in an attempt at easing the heavy tension between us, in an attempt at making her understand what this meant to me. I wanted it to be perfect for her, I wanted it to be everything my first time was not. The shame and affliction; I didn't want Anju to know those feelings.

"But I love you, and I need no marriage to prove that."

"I don't want to take something from you that doesn't belong to me."

"But Kafei, that doesn't even make - "

Everyone around us began to mobilize, snapping us out of our heated conversation. People shuffled, bags began to be packed, voiced groaned. I looked around, searching for the person that had given the signal for movement; it was a tall, blue figure – a Zora, quite obviously, that had it's arms lifted high into the air. I pulled myself up, my limbs aching from my restless sleep, dreading all the things that needed to be packed; the blankets, clothes, salvaged food, and scanned the group of people for our two friends. There was only around twenty, maybe twenty-five people present, so finding two people shouldn't be too hard.

"We'll talk about this later, I promise." I extended a hand down to her, and after she grasped it, pulled her up into standing. "But for now, we need to find Cremia and Ivo."

She sighed dramatically and hooked her arm around my waist. "Yeah, sure we will."

I just smiled, thankful for the interruption.

**FEELING GOOD - MUSE**


	10. Walk

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: HKJSHGJSD getting sick of writing this angsty story. I promise to write something legit tomorrow, but right now im just dead tired.**

**This one is short, and crappily written because its three thirty fuckin' AM.**

walk

Walking.

Walking.

More walking.

The orders were simple; 'keep moving until we reach the entrance to the bay. Don't stop, we're already off schedule.' Our legs stung with lethargy, our hearts aching with anticipation. I could see the bay clearly now, the only obscurity a simple hut made of white adobe.

I was excited, just as everyone else was, for the upcoming concert, overjoyed that I would get to experience this with my friends, in particular, Kafei. This chance to leave ClockTown, this one chance to be free, I cherish it as if it's my last, fore it might as well be. But . . . I am also sad. Sad at the fact that this will be my only time that I can leave freely, frustrated that we have to be so ostracized from the other cultures and races. Don't the adults realize that our generation has no prejudice against the other peoples of Termina? We have no reason to hate others, and yet, I fear that by the time we're adults, out minds will be hardened with strict teachings of hate and bigotry. It's an inevitable thing, I suppose, becoming cold because of your surroundings. It's not as if our parents wanted to become the way they are, they just developed those thoughts because it was easier than making a stand.

I don't want to be like my mother; harsh and forever grieving. I want to be happy, I want my friends to be happy, I want my children to be happy. I pray that anger and hate does not fuel our future lives.

My feet crunched against the sand, my calves burning because of the shifting terrain. I looked out towards the ocean, still in awe at its beauty and grace. Gawking seagulls hovered around a peculiarly shaped building in near the shore of the ocean. Some type of sea laboratory, I guessed, by the large hook protruding from its roof.

Kafei's hand brushed against me, and I could feel his little finger wrap around mine. He looked down at me with a sidelong glance, his scarlet eyes hidden by thick lashes.I smiled up at him, unable to keep up with the anger that I claimed to have.

It's not as if he didn't want me, he was just looking our for me, right? Trying to preserve my virtue? He said that he didn't want me to regret sleeping with him. Why would I possibly regret that?

Rejection is the same no matter how many times you try to reword it.

I let go of his hand in frustration, shaking him off. He continued to walk on on silence, but I could see the tightness of his pressed lips, the sag in his shoulders. He was upset, that much I could tell.

"Are you still angry about earlier?" He asked, finally breaking the pregnant silence.

I continued walking, too stubborn to muster a reply, too hurt to face him.

_He's rejecting me. _

My face grew hot as tears began to form in my eyes. I tried disparately to keep my cool and stop the tears, but they refused to be hindered. I bit my lip, hard, and broke the skin, turning my head towards the sea once again. _Stop! Stop crying!_

"I just wish that you'd understand where I'm coming from. I mean – hey, are you crying?" He stopped walking, stupefied at my action. He reached an arm out to stop me, because I had not stopped walking. He spun me around, "Anju, why are you crying?"

I tried to wipe my swollen eyes, but the tears kept coming. I shook with shallow sobs; I was losing control.

"I'm fine." I managed to choke out. A few stragglers from the group gave me an awkward stare as they walked by, unaware of our dilemma. I tried not to notice them, but found that I had buried my face into my hands in embarrassment.

"No. this," he waved an arm up and down my shaking body, "Is _not _fine. Tell me. Is it because I don't want to have sex yet? Because I want to wait? Because thats a pretty shitty thing to cry over." His words were harsh, but his tone gentle. I looked up to catch is gaze just as his thumb pressed against my cheek, his fingers in my hair.

"You don't want me," I started softly. He began to protest, but I stopped him with a finger to his lips, "But I want you. Kafei, I want you! I need to be with you, but you don't care! You make me feel silly an stupid, like I'm some kind of pervert for wanting this! I've known you my whole life, I've loved you my whole life, but you discard that and claim that you're trying to protect me. From what, Kafei? What are you protecting me from?" I wasn't angry, but instead hurt and confused.

"Think of how I feel, I'm a guy! I've wanted you since I was eleven years old! Everything you do makes me want you more! Are you blind? Can't you tell that I want this more than anything?"

"Then what's stopping us?" I asked in a low voice. The last person in the group finally passed by, leaving us totally alone.

"Me, I am." Kafei answered seriously, shifting on his feet as if unsure of his words. "I'm stopping this. What if someone told our families? What if you got pregnant? What would happen then? We'd be thrown out, banished!"

The calmness was almost deafening. He was right, as much as I didn't want to admit it; how would I tell my mother that I was pregnant? Or worse, how would Kafei explain to his strict parents that he was the father?

"Hey, would you guys hurry it up? We're going to leave without you!"

Kafei looked over my shoulder at Cremia, and then back at me. He licked his lips quickly, readying them for speech. "We have to go."

"I know."

"Do you agree with me?"

My eyes were downcast, my voice defeated, "Yes, I think that you're right."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."


	11. Cheat

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Really, really weird chapter. Sorry.**

**Ughgdfshj, I guess that Anju thought that Kafei was with that girl when they had broken up for a few months when they were fifteen and thats why she never really asked. I know, this chapter sucks dinosaur balls, but just bare with me, mmkay?**

**I'm too lazy to actually go back and reread the story, so just ignore me if I use the same words like a hundred times.**

Walk

"I'm . . . sorry." I whispered after a few moments. "I just . . . I just want you to be sure that . . ." I scratched a nonexistent itch on the nape of my neck, fidgeting, and turned away, my gaze averted towards the serene ocean which acted as a stark contradiction to my racing emotions. "That this is what you want . . . that I'm what you want."

"How could you say that Kafei?" Anju was livid. She brought her hand of to my cheek and wrenched my face towards her. I pulled away from her grasp, still not making eye contract. "What is wrong with you lately? Why are you acting so insecure about the littlest things?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

She tried to coaxed me into looking at her, but every time I turned away, ashamed.

"Is it something that _I_ did? Something I said?"

"No." I answered hurriedly, turning my head sharply to catch her gaze. "Not you. No, you've done nothing wrong."

"Then tell me."

Something stopped me from saying anything. For some reason my mouth stayed shut, my eyes pleading. I didn't want to talk about it, I didn't want to talk about _her_. I didn't want to have to remember anything. I didn't want to hurt Anju.

"How old were you when it happened?" Her question caught me off guard.

"What? How did you know that's why I - "

"This is the only thing that we've never talked about. I want to know."

"You shouldn't know."

Her voice was quick to rebut, "I have the right to know."

A silent moment passed between us, broken by the sound of our beating hearts.

"Thirteen."

She reacted just as I thought she would; her lips slid apart, her hands dropping. Her voice was a frail whisper.

"You never told me you were that young."

"It's not as if you would have understood at that age anyway." I scoffed, arms crossed. Anju's eyes were so sympathetic, so filled with pity towards me. My face got hot, and I suddenly felt embarrassed. My eyes flicked over towards the rest of the group in search of a distraction. They looked to be immobile, and by the position of the sun, probably stopped for a lunch break. No one seemed to notice that we were not with them.

I turned back towards Anju and managed a weak smile. She returned the gesture, but I could tell that her mind was clouded, just as mine was. I tried to imagine what must be going through her mind. She knew about my past 'relationship' – if you could even call it that – but that was all she knew.

"Who was she?" She asked tentatively once we had sat, her legs crossed.

"She was older than me, probably in her twenty's. Of course, everyone looks older when you're a kid, but she was different. She was nice to me and treated me older than I was . . . maybe a little too old." I picked at my fingernail, my eyes downcast. "I was so young, you know? I was just looking for a friend."

"You had me."

I sighed and shifted in the warm sand. "Do you remember when my family went to Ikana for business over the summer, right after I had turned thirteen?"

"Yes, how could I forget. That was the summer that I gave you the Pendent. The summer we kissed for the first time." Her brows were furrowed, I could tell what she was thinking. After she had confessed her love, I had betrayed her. It was true, I had. I grew frustrated.

"Damnit Anju, you're not making this easy. I felt alone after my friends kicked me out! All I had was you, and you were back in ClockTown! It's not like I was looking to get fucked by a friggin pedophile while my own fucking parents were in the next room, I was looking for a friend!" I had stood up in my frenzied state and was now pacing, my hands gesturing wildly around. I was still trying to make sense out of the events that transpired all those years ago, so why did I expect Anju to understand. "And you wanna know the really fucked up part?I didn't even think what we were doing was wrong. Matter of fact, I enjoyed it! The only thing that made me tell my parents about what that bitch did was the dull image of you that would sneak into my brain every time she touched me. I remembered the disgusting feelings in the pit of my stomach that I would get every time my father ran off with the receptionist; I knew how it felt to be cheated! I know we were young, Anju, but I still knew better! Even though you were too naïve to know what I was talking about, I still should have told you!"

I was answered by hollow silence. My chest rose and fell with my labored breath.

_Say something. Say something god damnit!_

"I'm so sorry."

My shoulders fell._ Was I hearing things? Did she seriously just say sorry?_

"What? Why are you apologizing? I don't understand."

"I'm sorry that you've felt this way for so long." Anju put her hand on my shoulder, her fingers gripping the collar of my shirt. "You've done nothing wrong."

"What?" I repeated, still dumbfounded and waiting for this to be some cruel trick. I grasped her hand on my shoulder and looked straight into her eyes."I cheated in you!"

"Like you said before, I didn't know what sex was. If I didn't know what it was, why would it have affected me?"

"But you know now!" Confusion gripped me. Why didn't she hate me now that she knew the truth? Why was Anju so understanding? "Why aren't you angry with me?! Why aren't you screaming at me? Why doesn't this affect you?"

"Kafei . . ." She touched my cheek, her eyes hard. "I know you feel badly about what happened, but it isn't your fault. You were used. Don't expect me to punish you with cruel words!"

"I'm not expecting you to -" I tried to explain.

"Yes you are! You want to make yourself feel better by being scolded! You want me to get back at you, but I won't! I don't care, Kafei, I don't!"

Anju was right, I wanted some kind of closure. I wanted to feel the same pain that I had thought Anju would, I wanted her too hate me for what I had done. But she didn't hate me . . . she wasn't even mad.

I looked down at her unwavering gaze, her tear-stained cheeks. I opened my mouth to say something,_ anything, _but no words came to mind. I've struggled in coming to terms with this weight on my shoulders for so long, and now it was gone. But . . . I didn't feel free. I knew that Anju was too good of a person to tell me that she was hurt. Maybe she understood, or maybe she didn't; All I could do was love her and be honest with her no matter what.

"We live in a fucked up world, Kafei, and that isn't your fault. I understand that things happen that are out of our control. I know that you've suffered this without telling me for a long time. I want you to know that this doesn't change how I feel about you. In fact, I feel more comfortable knowing that you trust me enough to tell me something like this."

_How? How could you possibly trust me after knowing this?_

"Thank you . . . Anju . . ." I looked down, too disgusted with myself to even look at her.

"No, Kafei, this isn't a time to be sad." She was smiling, but it was all a facade. I saw the tears in her eyes; the wavering of her fragile lips. She lifted my chin and pressed her mouth to mine. The kiss was tender, but I could feel her whole body quivering. She was trying to be strong for me, but I could tell that she was about to break.

_I_ should be the one trying to console _her_.

This was too much for me to bear.

I broke away from the kiss and gathered her in my arms. She pressed herself against me and I could feel her arms squeeze around my neck. Her head rested in my shoulder, he nose burrowing into my shirt. The final string broke as a pool of dampness spread over my shoulder and shallow sobs rocked through her body.

My heart broke.


	12. Water

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yay it's this fics one year anniversary. Not this exact day or anything, but I think I started writing it when I graduated middle school and now I'm going into 10th grade. Ugh fml**

**But this is just a quick entry from Kafei's diary because I'm too lazy to actually write out everything that happened orz**

Water

_I'm not entirely sure how to comprehend what happened this afternoon afternoon. I confessed to Anju, she had accepted what had transpired, and now she was giving me the cold shoulder. I know women, I know Anju. I see the facade that she tries to put up, how she tried to hide the fact that she hurt. I don't understand why women can't just say what they truly feel, and why they instead play games with men's minds. Life just get harder and harder with age . . . how I wish I could just be a child again and not have to worry about these things._

_The rest of that day passed in one long frenzy. The Zoras met with us and we traveled with them to the bottom of the ocean. What a trip that was. Apparently, if you are given one of their scales, you can breathe underwater temporarily. I don't understand the science behind it, and I don't think I ever will, but it was a fascinating experience. Anju sat with Cremia on the boat ride over before we had to go underwater, forcing me to sit with Ivo. We didn't talk much, but I really don't think that he's angry with me. I think he understands where I was coming from._

_Anju clung to me when we had to get in the water, but I'm sure that I was just used as an easy flotation device. I hope that we can work out our problems. I don't know what I would do without her._

_Is Mother doing alright? Is she upset at me for leaving so quickly? Has she learned of the affair between her husband and the secretary? If she did, would she tell anyone? If she does know and hasn't told anyone, I share more with my mother than I had thought. I also keep problems locked inside, much to the annoyance of my friends and family. I don't care to know how Father is doing. I don't miss ClockTown._

_I hope that I will be able to remember the shear beauty of Zora Hall. Water reflects off every surface, making the walls seem like they are made of water. It is everything that I expected and more. Colors I didn't even think existed are in this place. It truly is magical._

_When I reflect upon this entry in the future, I fear that my thoughts will be too jumbled and my writing so poor that I will not be able to understand it. When I am an old, tired man I want to remember the good times. I want to remember what freedom is._

**LOL FORESHADOWING**

**WOW I JUST TIED UP OVER 9000 LOOSE-ENDS **


	13. Drunk

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have to admit, I was a little disappointed that the last chapter didn't get a single review. I understand that its only been about two week and maybe I'm just being dramatic, but I see that people are reading it when I look under 'traffic'. It really means a lot if you just took the time to review. Right now I'm not even inspired to keep writing this. **

**Haha, _thats_ how dependent I am on recognition. But I understand that people are busy and really I'm just glad that you decided to read this. Thank you :)**

**And thank you so much to the people that have reviewed!!! You guys are the reason this story has been going for over a year!**

Drunk

Silence hung in the air like a thick curtain. Seconds passed on into minutes and still not a single movement was made by Ivo or myself. It was awkward, to say that least.

"So . . . about the other night." I started tentatively.

"Nah, don't even worry about it, bro. I was being a dick." He answer quickly, slight relief in his voice at the broken silence. Something flashed across his face; realization? He turned to me, "Wait, was this seriously why you've been so distant? Shit man, what happened really wasn't a big deal."

I only looked at him, surprised holding my tongue. _Not a big deal? I threw you against a tree!_

"I know that you're pretty protective over Anju. I shouldn't have said anything in the first place." Ivo positioned himself back into the thick cushions of the couch. I shifted uncomfortably.

"Look, Kafei, I really do understand." Ivo said, his voice a strong whisper. "I might not know how you feel, but I can tell its serious." His next question caught me off guard. "So, did you ask her to marry you yet?"

"What? - oh, I . . . she was the one doing the asking." I muttered even quieter than he had. "But I don't even know if she was serious. We were what? Like thirteen?" I asked rhetorically while trying to do the math in my head. "Yeah, I'm not really sure but thirteen sounds right. Nonetheless, I really don't think she even knew what 'engagement' meant."

"Thats some serious shit there. How come you never told me?" Ivo questioned, unable to hid the tinge of hurt in his voice.

"It never came up."

A moment of silence, then; "Thats just like you Kafei. I have to pry just to get a straight answer outta you."

It was the night of the concert and a shiver of anxiousness ran through all of us. Ivo and I sat in one of the many rooms of the hotel, waiting for Anju and Cremia for what seemed like hours. The hotel, strange as they came, was carved into the coral of the Zora hall. Water reflected off every rocky wall, creating a dizzying effect.

The door to the girls room twitched open and I could make out the flutter short red hair that was Anju. Ivo and I both started up from the couch, only to sit back down as the door slammed closed. I could hear Cremia's hurried whisper.

"I'm still not ready, Anju!"

"You look fine! Now can we please just go? We're going to be late." Anju replied, annoyance dripping in her voice. The handle to the door turned once again, only this time the door opened all the way. Anju stood in the doorway, her features glowing. I didn't notice what Cremia looked like; I just couldn't pull my eyes off of Anju.

Its not as if her clothes were anything more than normal, or her hair any more vibrant. She looked so painfully _Anju_ in her knee-length dress. But it was her normality that attracted me to her.

When her eyes caught on mine, she quickly averted them. She was still hurt, or if not that, unsure of how to think of me. I smiled at her, and even though she wasn't looking directly at me, I could see the twitch of her lips. She wasn't mad, she was being stubborn.

"Well, come on, lets go. Like Anju said, were gonna be late if we don't leave now." Said Cremia, her voice the only sound in the echo chamber of a room.

I nodded, "Yeah."

-------------------

When we entered the concert hall it was crammed with beings, not just people, but every type of creature possible; obviously Zoras, people of all races, fairies, and the occasional Goron. It was absolutely spectacular to see all these different races come together with one common interest; music. Its amazing how music can be a universal language that everyone knows and understands.

Kafei is being distant, but by the way I'm acting who can blame him? He walked behind us the whole way to the concert hall, always keeping behind the last person. I don't really understand why I'm treating him like this. I don't feel mad at him, but for some reason I just can't stand to talk to him. I expect him to know that I have an issue with the way that he's acting, even though I told him that I was fine. I've never understood why men have such a hard time understanding women until now. I can barely understand my own feelings, so why should I expect him to understand them?

I hate him for not wanting to talk more. I hate him for not making me feel better. However selfish that sounded I didn't care. At the moment I truly did hate him. Not even for what happened all those years ago, but for not wanting to talk it out more.

Why do relationships have to be so complicated? Why can't they just be simple, without jealousy or anger? It doesn't make any sense. Why can't we, as people, come with devices that tell us how to handle certain situations?

* * *

One . . . two . . . three shots.

Anju was downing her fourth shot as I finally made a move to stop her. She has barely ever drank alcohol before, and the times that she had it had been in moderation. You can't go from zero to five-hundred and expect to be okay.

I touched her hand gently as she went to grab another shot glass from the tray of shimmering glass. Strobe lights reflected off her drunken body, making her glow a deep purple, and then a fluorescent green. Her dress was barely covering her, being hiked so much up from not caring. Sweat pricked her forehead. Her eyes were watering.

"Anju, no. You've had enough tonight. The concert hasn't even started yet and your already wasted." I whispered into her ear, my body leaning over hers so that I could grasp her hand with my own, stopping her from taking another glass.

"K . . . Kafei stop, I'm fine." She muttered, prying her hand free from mine and reaching for the tray.

"No, you aren't fine." I rebutted. She ignored me and moved herself even closer to the bar, shifting her legs in the process. Her dress slid up the curve of leg even more and a lump grew in my throat. How I wanted to place my hand on that thigh, my fingers dragging along ever part of her long legs. How I longed to have her, to touch her. I wanted her so _badly. _

That was, until she vomited all over the stone floor by my shoes.

I jumped back, appalled that she could have let it get this far. This was nothing like the Anju that I had known my whole life. That Anju didn't get drunk the first five minutes upon entering a bar.

After expelling the contents of her stomach all over the floor of the hall, she slumped backwards into my chest. I caught her and then, after apologizing numerous times to the bartender, hauled her in my arms towards the back of the concert hall, all the while listening to her mumbling against my shirt. She smelled like cigarettes, alcohol and vomit; everything that was the opposite of Anju.

Everyone seemed to be looking at me and the unconscious girl in my arms. I probably looked like some kind of date-rapist ready to drag my next victim away into some dark corner. "Anju," I said softly, shaking her slightly. "Anju, wake up."

Her eyebrows furrowed, "I wasn't asleep."

The faces pointed in our direction slowly began turning away, clearly disappointed that Anju was nothing more than some guy's drunk girlfriend. Anju grinned up at me in delirium. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were smiling, both of which I assumed were caused by the copious amounts of Chateau Romani she had downed in the last half hour. She squirmed around in my arms, which I guessed could only mean 'put me down', so I lowered her to her feet. She swayed slightly, but seemed steady enough to stand.

She immediately leaned back on the reflective wall behind her, her hand reaching up to rub her temples. She turned and pressed her cheek to the cool shell, her eyes closing. I stepped closer to her and cradled my hand against her hot neck. She placed her own hand on top of mine.

"Hey, Kafei!" Ivo shoutied as he pushed his way through the crowded hall. I dropped my hand and turned to look at him. "Some chick got plastered and puked her guts out . . . " He trailed off after catching sight of Anju; pale, shaking and sweaty.

I turned back towards Anju and brushed her hair out of her face with the back of my hand. I smiled down at her. "So I've heard."


End file.
